The Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets team understand how many considerations there are when it comes to updating or replacing your kitchen. Our information guides are designed to offer quick and easy insight into all things related to solid wood, kitchens and cabinetry, plus other information that may interest and inspire you!

So, if you're thinking about making a purchase, or are just interested in learning a little more about the wonderful world of solid timber kitchens, please feel free to explore our extensive library.

If you would like to view all the information guides in a particular category, please use the following links:

A compendium of articles to help you choose accessories and appliances to suit your solid wood kitchen. Includes popular guides such as 'Buying Small Appliances for Oak Kitchens' and 'Buying Cooker Hobs for Solid Oak Kitchens'.

In the ‘Cabinetry’ category you will find guidance on anything and everything to do with kitchen cabinets; these articles will contain product knowledge, history, information on specific timbers and cabinet construction. This section will be updated regularly so do keep an eye out for new guides.

These questions were sent in directly by our customers, and have been answered with assistance from our in-house kitchen experts. We will be posting a new question every week, so do check back for the answers to further popular queries.

Handy hints about our services, product ranges, and much more. Our 'General' guides cover a wide range of topics, from a 'Pre-Drilling Service' article to a helpful run-down of the online ordering process entitled 'How to Order Solid Wood Kitchens'.

A selection of guides that will prove both inspirational and informative when planning your kitchen. Features useful articles such as 'How to Create a Shaker Kitchen' and 'How to Create a Farmhouse Kitchen with Solid Oak Kitchen Cabinets'.

For a full list of the Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets information guides, please click here.

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Recent Information Guides from Solid Wood Kitchen Cabinets

Our kitchen cabinets are delivered fully assembled as standard, and our skilled cabinetry team will align doors before your order is sent out. You may need to adjust your kitchen cabinet hinges as occasionally, during the installation process, there may be some movement – or you may have opted to have your kitchen delivered flat-packed. Sometimes, doors can move slightly over time and knowing how to adjust cabinet hinges appropriately can ensure your kitchen remains looking its best. These alterations are very easy to achieve – keep reading to find out what to adjust and when.

If you are installing your new cabinets for the first time, ensure that you fit all cabinet doors before making any adjustments. This will prevent cabinets being altered unnecessarily. When all cabinet doors are in place, the hinges can be fixed in turn until you are happy with the result.

Horizontal Adjustment

This is the most common form of adjustment and is often needed to make adjoining doors sit closer together or further apart. To alter where the cabinet door sits, you will need to adjust the hinge using the screw highlighted. Most hinges will have a small trough here, meaning you can slide the hinge – and door – to the correct position.

Vertical Adjustment

The central screw in the small trough in this hinge can be adjusted to change the height positioning of your doors. Only very slight changes will need to be made to re-position the door – simply loosen the screw to move it down and tighten to move it up. No support is required for the cabinet frontal whilst this adjustment takes place.

Front and Back Adjustment

You can also change how far forwards your cabinet frontals are placed. Adjusting the screw pictured here on both sets of hinges will ensure that the gap between the cabinet and door is equal on the top and bottom. Placing a frontal too close to the cabinet can prohibit it from opening or closing properly.

All our products come with easy-to-follow information guides. If you have any other questions about your kitchen cabinet hinges, please contact us or start a conversation on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

If you have decided upon solid wood kitchen cabinets, matching cabinet doors and spectacular kitchen worktops, it is now time to think about some of the details. Your sink will be the most used part of your kitchen – even more perhaps than your oven and hob. Whether you are washing, rinsing, cleaning or diluting, the sink sees a lot of action.

There are a variety of different kitchen sinks on the market, and an even larger selection of taps to complement them. Our collection features a selection of styles and include options from the leading brands, such as Reginox and Rangemaster, so you are sure to find something to suit your kitchen.

Choosing a Sink for your Solid Oak Kitchen

When designing the layout of solid oak kitchens, there are some key things to consider when choosing a kitchen sink. The kitchen triangle principle or kitchen zone planning can be useful when deciding on the right position for your kitchen sink. If you’re choosing anything other than an over-mounted sink, you will want to consider extras such as drainage grooves, which can easily be routed into a wooden worktop by the talented fabrication team at our sister company: Worktop Express®.

When ordering a sink with included drainer, be careful to check the ‘handing’ of the drainer. This refers to whichever side of sink the drainer is located, as not all sinks are reversible. Contemplate the design of your kitchen and location of the sink to help you make the right choice.

Not all sinks are designed to fit in all standard-sized base units. Sink base units are anywhere from 500 to 1200mm wide, but most sinks will require at least a 600mm unit. If you are fitting waste disposal units or other accessories, you might have to allow extra space to accommodate.

Kitchen Sink Materials

Kitchen sinks are manufactured in a number of different materials, to suit any budget and style. Some sinks will more able to withstand greater wear and tear in a busy household, so it is important to consider this when selecting the right sink for your home.

Stainless Steel

This type has been by far the most popular throughout the 20th century. Stainless steel sinks are highly durable and relatively easy to keep clean. Unless coated in a ‘linen’ or anti-scratch finish, they can be marked easily, and can tarnish and discolour over time.

Ceramic

This was the only option for kitchen sinks for many centuries and is still a favourite up to this day. ‘Belfast’ and ‘Butler’ sinks are the most common styles and do wonders in bringing that classic farmhouse look to a kitchen. They’re also usually rather spacious, can be easily cleaned and rarely tarnish. Just be careful with heavy pots and pans, as a heavy impact on ceramic can cause cracks or fractures in the glaze.

Composite

Sometimes referred to as ‘granite’ sinks, composite sinks tend to be a mixture of powdered granite and resin. They’re renowned for being very durable and are a much sturdier alternative to plastic. They are available in a range of colours, shapes and sizes and can be inset, undermounted or flush.

Different Kitchen Sink Styles

Once you have selected the most practical material for your sink, there are a number of different configurations in which most types of sink are available. It is important to take your worktop into consideration when choosing the style you would like, as some sinks are not compatible with certain types of work surface.

Undermounted

Undermounted sinks are fitted under the work surface using a combination of clips, fixing posts and adhesives. They can be used to create a sleek, seamless look between the worktop and sink, and work particularly well in conjunction with wooden worktops. They are not typically well-suited for use with laminate surfaces, as they leave a cross section of the worktop’s fibreboard core exposed.

Flush mounted

These are a neat option and provide a great alternative to undermount sinks as they also leave no overhang. The rim of these kitchen sinks is fitted flush with the top surface of the worktop rather than underneath it.

Overmounted

Possibly the most common type of installation, overmounted sinks are often stainless steel or composite, and include a draining board as part of the design. They’re easy to fit and replace and can be used in a wide variety of kitchen styles.

Inset

Belfast and Butler sinks are usually inset into a cut-out in the worktop, so that the front of the sink is on show. This is largely an aesthetic decision, but also gives you good access to these sinks that are often deeper than other types available.

In part 2 of this guide we will be looking at kitchen taps to help you select the best option for your home. If there is anything you would like more information about, please do not hesitate to get in touch so we can assist you further.

Solid wood cutlery drawers are a new addition to our existing range of kitchen accessories and come in a variety of beautiful hardwood choices in a number of sizes, spanning from 310mm all the way up to 910mm wide.

Each cutlery drawer is created from the same timber as our high-quality wood worktops and is manufactured in-house using our precise CNC machine. The machine cuts the separate cutlery inserts into the solid hardwood block, engraves each section to specify which type of cutlery the tray is for, and after being removed from the machine is then sanded by hand to create an incredibly smooth finish.

Whilst our cutlery trays are not supplied with any treatment applied, we recommend either covering them with a couple of coats of Rustins Danish Oil, lacquer, or painting them to match your kitchen.

Whether in a modern or traditional scheme, the golden tones of this exotic African timber make it ideal for many solid wood kitchens, as well as being the perfect material for creating matching cutlery drawer inserts.

With hard-wearing and naturally anti-bacterial qualities, iroko cutlery trays will provide years of service within your kitchen.

Prices start at £55 for a 310mm tray.

Stylish finishing touches – such as our cutlery drawer trays – help to make a solid wood kitchen truly unique. No two cutlery trays are exactly alike, thanks to wood’s natural qualities.

Whilst we recommend ordering a cutlery tray insert to match your chosen solid wooden worktops, these trays are designed to fit almost any standard width kitchen drawers, so if you already have a kitchen you are proud of, why not complement it with one of these beautiful accessories?

You may also find the following information guides useful:

Finding the Right Kitchen Fitter

Picking the Perfect Kitchen Colours to Complement Wooden Worktops

Fitting a Kitchen: How to Install Wooden Worktops

Colourful Kitchen Accessories for White Cabinets

Please Note: This guide was originally published on March 6th 2015 and was most recently updated on June 13th 2018.

There is nothing so inviting as solid wood kitchens filled with the scent of wholesome home cooking. On some occasions – for instance if you have an open-plan kitchen and dining area – you will want to eliminate the steam and smells of cooking food. Cooker hoods are the perfect solution and, whilst the concept used to conjure up ideas of clunky, industrial units, they are now available in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes to combine elegant form with practical function.

To help you find the right style for your kitchen, explore our handy cooker hood guide:

What type of cooker Hood

Image courtesy of Rangemaster

CHIMNEY HOODS

One of the most popular styles, chimney hood are positioned above your hob, and incorporate a chimney that travels up to the ceiling, allowing cooking smells, hot air and grease to be extracted via the ducting pipe.

The cost of chimney hoods ranges between £50 for a basic unit and £900 for a higher-quality hood with extraction of the greatest efficiency.

Image courtesy of Luxair

CANOPY COOKER HOODS

Canopy cooker hoods are favoured for their minimalist design, and can be neatly installed to the underside of your wall cabinets. This simple installation makes them extremely unobtrusive. Canopy hoods are compatible with both extraction and recirculation systems, so we suggest deciding which features you would like before you start shopping.

This discreet style of cooker hood can be purchased for as little as £45, ranging up to £1,800 for a canopy cooker hood with an intense level of power and luxurious additional features.

Image courtesy of Baumatic

INTEGRATED HOODS

Just like canopy-style cooker hoods, integrated hoods fit can be assimilated into your kitchen design, though – unlike canopy hoods – they will need to occupy a certain amount of space inside your oak cabinets. Once the extraction or recirculation unit is installed, the cupboard door can be fitted to the front and will open upwards when in use.
The standard price for an integrated cooker hood will range between £50 and £300.

Image courtesy of Miele

KITCHEN ISLAND HOODS

If you have decided to install your hob as part of a kitchen island unit, specialist hoods are available, which can be mounted to your ceiling. Typically, kitchen island hoods are fairly large, and often come with integrated lighting that is ideal for enhancing kitchen ambience. As it would be difficult to add a duct in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, these hanging extractor hoods usually adopt the recirculation method.
Prices for kitchen island hoods start from around £150 for a basic style and increase up to as much as £2,500 for a designer model.

Image courtesy of Neff

DOWNDRAFT EXTRACTORS

The final, most elegant option is the downdraft extractor. If there is no space in your kitchen to accommodate a traditional cooker hood, the downdraft extractor is a stylish pop-up alternative, which can be built into your worktop or island unit.

This ultra-modern extraction solution is – unsurprisingly – also the most expensive, with prices starting at £400 and ranging up to figures well beyond the £3,000 mark.

IMPORTANT FUNCTIONALITIES EXPLAINED

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AIR EXTRACTION AND RECIRCULATION?

Cooker hoods can operate in one of two ways: air extraction and air circulation. There is usually a function to choose between either of these modes on the hood, although some cheaper options may only offer the (preferable) extraction mode.

Air extraction uses a ducting system, which draws in air and traps grease in a filter. Fumes, odours and condensation and then removed through the ducting pipe. A shorter ducting pipe with fewer bends will extract more air and work more efficiently. Recirculation systems do not use ducts; instead the air is drawn in, the grease and odours are extracted, and then the recycled air is dispelled back into the kitchen. Unlike extractor hoods, recirculation hoods will only remove odours but not steam.

NOISE CONSIDERATIONS

The sound made by some cooker hoods can be a little loud when used on higher settings. Unless you opt for a specialist low-noise hood, we recommend switching on the hood a few minutes before beginning to cook, to start air circulating earlier. Once you are ready to eat, the hood can be turned down to the lowest setting, or switched off completely.

EXTRACTION RATE

It’s best to do your research before heading out to buy your cooker hood, and this includes calculating the ideal rate of extraction. To work this out, calculate the volume of your kitchen in cubic metres, and multiply it by 12 (this number will allow for the recommended rate of 12 changes of air per hour).

INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS

Once you have selected the ideal cooker hood for your kitchen, there are a few considerations to take into account regarding installation.

The cooker hood should be situated at least 65cm above a gas hob or 50cm above an electric hob, and customers should always refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines to check for any additional stipulations.

If you have opted for a ducting system, it’s sensible to situate the hood as close to an external wall as possible, to limit disruption when installing, and to minimise the length of the duct pipe.

To see a selection of cooker hoods in situ, please pay a visit to our Gloucester showroom. We have a variety of hoods on show in our beautiful kitchen display sets, from respected brands including Falcon and Franke, as well as a complementary selection of glass and stainless steel kitchen splashbacks.

You may also find the following guides useful:

How to Find a Kitchen Fitter

Choosing the Perfect Kitchen Colours to Complement Wooden Worktops

Installing Appliances in Your Solid Wood Kitchen

Buying Hobs for Solid Oak Kitchens

Please note: this guide was originally published on October 7th 2016 and has most recently been updated on 6th June 2018.